The companies responsible for decommissioning Dounreay on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have set out proposals to ensure long-term employment for their workforce after the site closes.

Around 1,100 Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) staff taking apart the former research site have been told about a series of future commitments including the offer of a job with one of the companies behind the site’s parent body organisation Cavendish Dounreay Partnership.

Managing Director Phil Craig said:

Our mission is around safety, delivery and the future transition of our people. We recognise that ongoing employment could become a distraction as decommissioning becomes more visible in the years ahead and so we want to act early and ensure our employees have a number of options. Everyone will have different aspirations so there cannot be a single solution.

There are some exciting opportunities on the horizon for the Highlands and beyond. We will develop training and support programmes to put individuals in the strongest possible position to move into another local job with one of the growing industries such as space or renewable energy. Importantly, there will also be a job offer with one of Dounreay’s parent companies for any DSRL staff member who wishes to receive one.

Cavendish Dounreay Partnership is a consortium made up of Cavendish Nuclear, Jacobs and AECOM. Together they employ more than 220,000 people with locations around the world including Caithness.

Jamie Stone, Member of Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said:

The Dounreay workforce has developed skills that are second to none and we should be proud of the work that they are doing to decommission the site. It is difficult to know that you are ultimately working your way out of a job and so I welcome early consideration of how these skills can be put to the best possible use in the future. The commitment from Cavendish Dounreay Partnership to offer jobs is good news for the workforce and I will be working with them to ensure as many of those roles as possible are based within this community.

Gail Ross, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, added:

This is a positive announcement, not only for those working at Dounreay today, but for our community looking forward. It provides options and reassurance to many of the highly skilled workers who will seek ongoing employment. By making an announcement now, everyone has time to work together and understand how this can best benefit staff, the companies involved and our local area.

Cavendish Dounreay Partnership Chairman Simon Bowen said:

This is an early but clear commitment. The principle is to ensure that everyone who wants a job when their role at Dounreay is complete finds ongoing employment. We will be working with trade unions, local businesses and others in the months and years ahead to develop the detail and ensure the support is there for a team that right now has a busy programme of work ahead of it, delivering one of the most technically challenging nuclear closure programmes of its kind.

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